Bottle-stopper.



UNITED STATES Patented July 21, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT T. OTTO, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO HARRY C. BLYE,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BOTTLE-STOPPER.

SPECIFCATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 734,191, dated July 21, 1903. Application filed March 11, 1901. Serial No. 50,545. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it nuty concern/.f

Be it known that I, ALBERT T. OTTO, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle-Stoppers, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in Stoppers for bottles and other receptacles, and pertains more particularly to hollow ductile stoppers having a closed lower end and adapted to be tightly fitted against the inner walls of the bottle-neck either by the annular contraction of the stopper during its insertion into said neck or its annular expansion after such insertion. The hollow ductile Stoppers have ordinarily been made' of commercial aluminium, being punched or pressed into form from sheet-aluminium. It has been dis. covered that the aluminium Stoppers will become discolored by and discolor certain liquors; and the object of the present invention is to eifectnally remedy this objection.

"To this end my invention consists in providing a composite stopper or one whose body shall be of aluminium or other suitable ductile material and whose closed lower end shall be covered by a cap of very thin ductile substance-such, for instance, and by preference as pure tin-said cap,although of separate material from the stopper, being carried thereby and, in effect or for all practical purposes, integral therewith. The cap of tin covers the lower end andthe lower portion of the sides of the stopper, so as to effectually prevent the contact of the contents of the bottle with the body or base metal of the stopper, and it is obvious that, if desired,the said cap may eX- tend over the entire exterior surfaces of the body of the stopper, although in the interest 0f economy and for other reasons I prefer that the sides of the cap extend over only the lower portions of the sides of the body of the stopper.

In the manufacture of the stopper of my invention the body of the stopper and the cap of tin maybe formed and united during the process of manufacturing the stopper as an entirety, and in such process of manufacture a disk of valuminium of proper size and a disk of tin of proper size placed concentrically together are subjected to the 'action of suitable dies and fashioned into the composite stopper, the tin covering the lower portion of the stopper and having its exterior' side surfaces flush with the surfaces of the other portions of the sides of the stopper. The disk of tin above referred to is during the manufacture of the stopper shaped into cap form and so closely binds against the exterior surfaces of the lower portion of the body of the stopper as not only to become for all practical purposes integral therewith, but capable of yielding with and following the shape of said lower portion of the body of the stopper under such treatment as may be accorded the latter during and after its insertion into the bottle-neck, the said cap remaining in intimate union with the surfaces of the body of the stopper and yielding therewith and at all times effectually preventing any contact of the contents of the bottle with said body.

The nature of the invention and the method of manufacturing Stoppers embodying the same may be fully understood from the detailed description hereinafter presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a disk of alumini um and a disk of tin placed concentrically together preparatory to being submitted to the dies or forming-tools for transforming the same into the finished stopper. Fig. 2 is a section of same on the dotted line 2 2 of Fig.

1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the composite stopper embodying my invention. Fig. 4 is a central vertical section of same. Fig.

5 is a perspective view of the body of same with the cap stripped therefrom, and Fig. 6 is a detached perspective view of the cap stripped from the body of the stopper.

.In Figs. 1 and 2 the disks of aluminium and tin are respectively designated by the numerals 10 and 11, and since it is only necessary that the tin cover the lower portion of the body of the stopper the disk'll is materially less in diameter than the disk 10. The tin disk 11 is only intended to form a skin or protecting-cover for the stopper, and hence the disk 11 is very thin, soft, andl pliable, while the disk 10 is of sufficient thickness and rigidity to afford a proper body for the IOO stopper. The disks 10 and 11 having been placed together, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, are subjected to the action of forming dies or tools and fashioned into the stopper illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, these dies or tools being of a character Well known in this art.

The stopper shown in Figs. 3 and 4 couiprises the body 12 and cap 13, which parts are illustrated in detached form in Figs. 5 and 6, and the said stopper, less the cap 13, is substantially identical with and employed in the saine manner as the stopper shown and claimed in Letters Patent ofthe United States No. 603,407, granted August 2, 1898, to Harry C. Blye as assignee of Gustave Koch. The body l2 and cap 13 constitute the composite stopper, and in the process of manufacturing the stoppers the cap 13 not only receives its form and position on the body'12, but is closely bound against the surfaces of the same.. In actual practice the material of the cap 13, though thin, soft, and pliable in character, is during the process of manufacturing the stopper so firmly pressed against the body 12 that it becomes set into the sides of said body, and the sides of the stopper from top to bottom are given smooth regular surfaces admirably adapted to seal the neck of a bottle. In Fig. 5 I illustrate the body 12 with the cap 13 stripped therefrom, so as to disclose the nature of the seat (numbered 14 for identification) formed during the usual punch-anddie process of manufacturing the Stoppers in the body 12 by the material of the cap 13, while in Figs. 3 and 4 the body 12 and cap 13 are shown together in the complete stopper, whose side walls are smooth and plain.

The stopper illustrated is employed by being pressed into the bottle-neck and then locked therein by iiattening its dish-shaped bottom to crowd the lower portions of the sides of the stopper into sealing contact with the walls of said neck. The invention is not, however, in every instance limited to the special character of body 12, since in some forms of aluminium stoppers the latter are loosely dropped into the bottle-necks and then expanded into grooves or against gaskets, as is well known, and my invention is applicable to those stoppers also.

The cap 13, without regard to the manner of applying the stopper to seal the bottle, performs the very useful function of preventing the contents of the bottle from coming into contact with the metal of the body 12 and possesses the highly-desirable property of yielding,r in any direction with (without leaving) the said body 12, whereby the stopper when inserted into the bottle-neck may be expanded or contracted orotherwise manipulated to eect the sealing of its side walls against the walls of said neck without danger of breaking, slitting, or tearing the cap 13, and consequently without danger of impairing the protection to be afforded by said cap.

A further importantadvantage derived from the use of the metalcap 13 upon the metal body 12, the latter being less ductile than said cap, is that by reason of the softness of said cap the surfaces of the same will when the stopper is forced to sealing position enter the small irregular crevices frequently found in the surfaces of bottle-necks and aid in forming an effectual seal. The cap 13 is in itself very soft and pliable and may with the slightest effort be flattened between the thumb and finger, being materially less stiff than ordinary writing-paper, while the body 12, as compared with said cap, possesses substantial rigidity and affords, while ductile, a firm backing for said cap and one capable of causing during the sealing operation the squeezing or pressing of the surfaces of said cap into all the small crevices, angular and irregular as many of them are, found in the surfaces of some bottle-necks. The softness or ductility of the cap 13 enables the latter to present smooth exterior surfaces corresponding with the surfaces of the body 12 above the upper edges of said cap and also to cling closely and in an air-tight manner to said body, so that when the cap is on said body the cap and body form substantially an integral stopper capable of being used and handled without liability of its parts separating from each other or having their utility impaired.

In the best form of the invent-ion the body 12 will be of aluminium and the cap 13 of thin pure sheet-tin; but it is obvious that the invention is not in every instance t-o be confined to the special materials named, but includes a composite stopper of the character and possessing the qualities described whether of the materials specified or of other materials or substances possessing similar properties, among which it may be mentioned that the body 12 is of ductile material and that the cap 13 is thin, pliable, yielding, notliable to tear or fracture during the proper manipulation of the stopper, adapted to cling to the body 12, and capable of protecting the contents of the bottle from contact with the body 12 without itself proving deleterious to such contents.

, Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The composite stopper comprising the hollow ductile metallic body 12 havinga closed lower end, and the thin ductile metallic cap 13 upon and carried by said lower end, said cap being of very soft metal as compared with said body, and said body being both rigid and ductile enough to enable it to form an effectual seal within a bottle-neck, said cap protecting said body against contact with the contents of the bottle and also aiding in the sealing of the bottle; substantially as set forth. f

2. The composite stopper comprising the hollow ductile metallic body 12 havinga closed lower end, and the thin ductile metallic cap IOC IIO

13 upon and in intimate union with said lower` end and ca rried thereby, said cap being of very soft metal as compared with said body and having its sides set into the sides of said body, whereby the sides of the stopper normally present substantially smooth surfaces, and said body being both rigid and dnctile enough to enable it to form an effectual seal within a-bottleneck; substantially as set forth.

3. The composite stopper normally greater in diameter than the bottle-neck to receive it and adapted to seal a bottle-neck having the usual plain ,inner wall-surfaces upon being forced into said bottle-neck and having thereby its sides contracted and conformed thereto, said stopper comprising the hollow ductile metallic body 12 and exterior thin ductile metallic covering lcarried by and in intimate union with said body 12, said metallic covering 13 being of very soft metal as compared with said body, and said body being 

